Important note: This Wiki page is edited by participants of the EOWG. It does not necessarily represent consensus and it may have incorrect information or information that is not supported by other Working Group participants, WAI, or W3C. It may also have some very useful information.

ISO 40500 is exactly the same as Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 from the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), which is available online at http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG/

For an overview of WCAG and links to supporting resources that provide practical advice for meeting WCAG 2.0, see the WCAG Overview.

{Adoption of} WCAG 2.0 as an ISO standard benefits countries and organizations that are more easily able to {adopt} ISO standards. Countries that previously adapted WCAG 2.0 may now be able to adopt WCAG 2.0 as is through the ISO document.

archived notes:

FAQ

No. The Techniques document provides guidance that is "informative". The basis for determining conformance to WCAG 2.0 is the success criteria from the WCAG 2.0 standard — not the techniques.

You do not have to use the sufficient techniques to meet WCAG. Web content can use other ways to meet the WCAG success criteria. Web content could even fail a particular technique test, yet still meet WCAG a different way. Also, content that uses some of the published techniques does not necessarily meet all WCAG success criteria.

The Techniques are not intended to be required. The only thing that is intended to be required is meeting the success criteria.

To learn more about the techniques, please see:

About the Techniques section of How to Meet WCAG 2.0: A customizable quick reference... [@@ is there a reason to point to the QuickRef? or do we only need to point to the Techniques?]

QuickRef Draft:

All of the techniques are informative — you do not have to follow the techniques. The basis for determining conformance to WCAG 2.0 is the success criteria, not the techniques.

You do not have to use the sufficient techniques to meet WCAG. Web content can use other ways to meet the WCAG success criteria. Web content could even fail a particular technique test, yet still meet WCAG a different way. Also, content that uses some of the published techniques does not necessarily meet all WCAG success criteria.

The Techniques are not intended to be required. The only thing that is intended to be required is meeting the success criteria.

Anyone can submit new techniques at any time. If techniques are used other than those listed by the Working Group, then some other method for establishing the technique's ability to meet the success criteria would be needed.

In addition to the 'sufficient techniques', there are also advisory techniques that go beyond WCAG 2.0's requirements. Authors are encouraged to apply all techniques that they are able to, including the advisory techniques, in order to best address the needs of the widest possible range of users.

Note that even content that conforms at the highest level (AAA) will not be accessible to individuals with all types, degrees, or combinations of disability, particularly in the cognitive language and learning areas. Authors are encouraged to seek relevant advice about current best practice to ensure that Web content is accessible, as far as possible, to this community.

Questions: Do you think the right explanation is in those places? Does it need to be explained better? Or, are people just not finding it there?

Clarifying misunderstandings: Maybe we should refine a good explanation and then put it in the FAQ or elsewhere, and then do a promotional campaign just around that one issue - explaining the techniques... or while we're at it, see if there are other WCAG misunderstandings we want to clear up, too... (I'm imagining a short video explaining it, too - but that's wishlist.)

Some wording we drafted then deleted elsewhere: WCAG Techniques give specific guidance for developers on how to develop accessible web content. The techniques are "informative", that is, you do not have to use them. The basis for determining conformance to WCAG 2.0 is the success criteria from the WCAG 2.0 standard, not the techniques. To learn more about techniques, see About the Techniques.

This is an internal planning page.Please see the published WCAG 2 FAQ.